"Delete All Dis Ish, Piggy!"

If you're just joining me on this journey, I am the founder of Fancy Free Hair & Skin, a personal care manufacturing company. I did not set out to start a business. It happened accidentally. I don't know much about marketing product. I am an expert at developing and manufacturing products because I spent 7 years running a laboratory.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I am always looking at my products, website, social media, pictures, etc. trying to figure out how they can be improved. Last year, I felt like I hit a plateau but wasn't sure what I could do to take my business to the next level. So, I decided to hire a new marketing company to give me a fresh perspective on the things I look at everyday.

The graphic designer I use for my labels and other marketing material has been with me since the beginning. THEE VERY BEGINNING. She was the one who sent me a message saying "Girl. You are too fancy for this janky label you have. Let me fix it." The rest is history. My product labels have gone through a few

adjustments over the past 3 years but no real overhaul. Last year, I finally decided to create individual labels for the 5 different scents of shea for hair and skin instead of continuing to use one standard label with separate scent labels. Sounds simple, right? That's because "you did not do your math" *Erykah Badu vc*. Let us add up the cost for ONE product's labeling:

• (2 labels per jar + 2 different sizes) x 5 different scents = 20 rolls of labels
• Each roll of labels (minimum 250 labels) costs about $80 per roll with my customer loyalty discount
• That's 20 x $80 to upgrade my labels for ONE product. 
• $1600 for just the labels

The labels for one product. I have 9 different products. My graphic designer and I went back and forth about a few things with the labels for this one product. So when I required new labels for another product, I was kind of over it. Plus I was on a time crunch because I had made promises on when the new packaging would be available. 

Fast forward, I meet with the marketing company to really dive deep into what Fancy Free Hair & Skin is all about and who I am as a founder. One of the first things they comment on is my packaging and labeling. AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I got that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach because.... well, see the calculations above. By the end of the "deep dive" session, we had shifted our focus to other aspect of Fancy Free that could be improved and did not mention the labels again. Then I started working on labels for the Clay Wash and Castor Oil blend (Available sometime this summer. Continue reading if you want to know about what's taking so long). The marketing company asked to see the labels that my graphic designer came up with, the designer who has been with me since day one. The one who I trusted with a major part of my branding. I gave her the go ahead to use more color and to keep in mind that I approve changing the label design to be more "Fancy". The labels she designed for my new products were in line with all of my other product labels. I understood that she wanted them to be cohesive with my existing products but my marketing company had something different in mind. Whole time, I'm confused and unsure, so guess what I did. Nothing. I put the new product release on the shelf and started working on shampoo bar, soap, shampoo and body wash. SMH. 

About two weeks after "Label Gate", I go to the grand opening of the Made In Baltimore Pop-Up Store, since my products are being sold there. Fancy Free was set up in a display in the middle of the table with about eight other handmade personal care products. My sister, who is my creative director, and I were looking at my products among the others like "Something isn't right here." I didn't like the way my products looked next to others. I felt like mine looked amateur. I felt like Fancy Free products didn't measure up. Which I know isn't true but just looking at them next to other products made me feel that way. It hit me like a ton of bricks. The marketing company was right. I need to do something about these labels. *hears money flushing down the toilet*

Moral: Sometimes you have to throw everything away and start over.

I know this. I do it all the time during product development. I would make a change in the formula, just to see how it would turn out. The results....TRASH! As duly noted in my lab notebook. 

This same theory applies to my labeling. While my current labeling isn't "trash", I realized that they need to be improved in order to give my brand the image it needs to take Fancy Free Hair & Skin to the next level. And while it will cost me money to make changes, it will cost me more in the future if I leave them as they are. After all, marketing and branding are not my ministry, this is why I paid the marketing company to fix my life. Seems counterproductive to hire an expert and then not take the expert's advice. 

I spent 2018 putting systems in place, hire and training staff, and building relationships so that I could spend 2019 growing my business. This realization can definitely be filed in the "growing pains" category but Fancy Free and I will be better for it.
Ok. Now that I've told the story. Let me swallow my pride and order these new labels.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you fancy and free of chemicals." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Visit www.fancyfreehairandskin.com to subscribe to our mailing list. Become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase.

Self Made

Kylie Jenner was named the youngest "self made" billionaire by Forbes magazine. Ummm....excuse me while I contain my laughter. First thing's first. NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE makes it alone. It takes a team for anything substantial to grow and be successful. Period. Let me break down how Kylie is NOT self-made before I explain how this term is misleading so many others on their entrepreneurial journey.

1. Kylie is the daughter of Kris Jenner.
Kris make have some unorthodox ways but she is a bomb ass momager. Each and everyone of her children has been able to start and grow sustainable businesses with Kris pulling strings behind the scenes. Kylie is no exception.
2. Kylie is a Kardashian.
As I grow in my business, I realize the importance of social media influencers. Many influencers get paid to sell other people's products while some start businesses of their own. Most people who do well in business selling products have a very strong social media presence. Couple that with a hot television show and BOOM your products are going to fly off the shelf, no matter what they are.
3. Kylie has resources.
Yes, it's obvious that Kylie is rich, so monetary resources are plentiful but imagine being having the best of the best vying to work for you or collaborate with you on any venture you are set on pursuing. Best of the best cosmetic manufacturer. Best of the best distribution company. Best of the best graphic designer. Best of the best web designer. Best of the best marketing team. I mean....you get the point.

Successful enterprises are comprised of the following:

• A visionary
• An executor
• A money person
• A connector
• A marketing person

One person can play a couple of those roles but in success stories, ALL success stories, multiple people hold these roles. Making "self made" a false term.

The Hospital Team

When I worked in health care, the term "teamwork" was thrown around but really everyone was for themselves. Covering their own behinds, trying to make themselves look good while, sometimes, throwing others under the bus for one reason on another. The real impact of collaborative economics didn't hit me until I started building a direct sales business. Call it a pyramid scheme but when you realize that your paycheck depends on the someone else getting a paycheck, you are going to go above and beyond to help them understand HOW to get paid and then help them actually take the steps to get paid. And in direct sales, the more people you teach this model to, the more money you make. So, everyone is helping each other get paid. Now THAT is teamwork. 

I run my business with the same teamwork spirit but running Fancy Free Hair & Skin is a little different than building a direct sales team. In direct sales, you want your business partners/team to duplicate your efforts and surpass you but in business you want you teammates to focus on doing what they do best to fulfill their role on the team. My role is to develop quality products that our customers want and manufacture them. However, I don't manufacture by myself because that's not sustainable, so I have help. My manufacturing tech keeps us on track with our production schedule, makes sure we order supplies on time, and also keeps me motivated when I want to sit on the couch. Hey. It happens.

The Fancy Free Team

But who cares if the product is good. No one will buy it if they don't know about it. That's why I have a public relations expert to get my brand in front of people and a marketing expert to make sure I'm sending the right message about my products to the right people. But no one cares if I'm saying the right things to the right people is the presentation of the product is trash. That's why I have someone who is in charge of designing labels and packaging. And another person in charge of making sure the product pictures and social media pictures are in line with my brand. 

It really does take a team. I don't have to spend time trying to figure out how to do those things that are not in my area of expertise only to come up with mediocre results. I can focus on my energy on product development and being the face of the brand, while my team makes sure the other areas are covered.... and executed with excellence.

Entrepreneurship is not easy. It can be lonely but you don't have to go it alone. Don't let these headlines fool you into thinking that you have to do it by yourself to a talked about success story. You don't. You shouldn't. You will not be successful if you try to do it alone.

So, congrats to Kylie Jenner and all of the other entrepreneurs doing big things. I am inspired and you help keep me motivated but make sure you acknowledge your team. You couldn't have done it without them.

Shameless Plug Alert:

Fancy Free Hair & Skin manufactures quality products for hair and skin, as well as provides natural hair consults for women who would like assistance on their natural hair journey. Our motto is "Keeping you chemical free." Visit our website, www.fancyfreehairandskin.com, to see a full range of our products and services. Sign up for our mailing list to receive natural hair tips and stay up to date on sales and the latest happenings with Fancy Free.

Subscribe and become Fancy's Friend to receive a code for 10% off your next purchase. 

Personal Branding - How You Dress Speaks Volumes

Building your personal brand is not reserved only for business owners and entertainers. You are always selling yourself. If you're in business and selling a product or service. People do business with people they like and trust, so you're selling yourself first. If you are not in business, you are selling yourself to a potential employer, future mate or new friend. Everyone should take care in building and maintaining their own personal brand. The impression you make starts with how others view you. The way you dress says more about you and your brand than you ever can communicate through conversation.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you're getting dressed to make sure you are dressing in line with the brand you are building.

1. What Am I Selling?

If you are going to a job interview, you are selling yourself. What you wear communicates you are ready for the job and are competent. Wearing sneakers to a job interview may communicate that you are laid back and not necessarily a good fit for the team, even if you are. If you are offering a service, you should dress as a person qualified to do the service. Wearing jeans and dirty work boots may communicate that you can adequately give a service in construction or landscaping even if you are a computer systems engineer.

2. Where Am I Going?

As the old saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you are unsure of the dress code for the event or the culture of the environment you'll be entering, it's usually better to lean toward over dressing than under dressing. Some companies adhere to a strict business casual dress code, while others do not. If a company does not express a dress code when they set up the interview, it's best to over dress in a suit and tie or dress than to wear khakis. Another example, wearing a bikini top and extremely short shorts to an inner city shopping mall could be viewed as inappropriate compared to if you're wearing the same thing on the beach or at a pool or to a shopping mall in a beach town.

3. Am I Dressing For Where I Want To Be?

If you are building your brand as a fashion guru, being fashionable is imperative. If you are an intern but intend to work your way up the corporate ladder, you should dress like the CEO of that company dresses. If you are an entrepreneur and your goal is to become an international mogul, your clothes should show that.

Building your personal brand is important for your profession and personal life. What you wear communicates a multitude of things about you. Individuality makes the world go around. Incorporating your personal style in your wardrobe is a huge part of building your brand and what it represents. Make sure your style is communicating what you want it to. Ask yourself what am I selling, where am I going, and am I dressing for where I am going to make sure you are dressing with intention.

Fancy Free LLC. finds great joy in helping people reach their financial and personal goals in all areas of life. Call us at (410) 929-0302 to schedule your complimentary consultation.